Ocular appliance for delivering medication

Abstract

A device for delivering an anesthetic to the eye, comprising a thin, porous, substantially planar annular body. The inner diameter of the device is slightly greater than the diameter of the limbus or corneal-scleral junction of the eye, and the outer diameter, slightly smaller than the arcuate distance between the upper and lower conjunctival sacs. The device is made of a flexible material such as methylcellulose-based filter paper, thus, it is able to flex to conform to the shape of the eyeball. The device is positioned in the eye with the inner edge circumscribing the limbus and the outer edge extending into the conjunctival sacs. A liquid such as a topical anesthetic, antibiotic, and so forth is added to the body by means of an eye dropper or other suitable means. The liquid spreads rapidly and uniformly throughout the body and diffuses into the eye. If desired, a plurality of equally-spaced radial slits may be formed in the body to enable it to conform to the shape of the eye.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for delivering a liquid to an eye, said eye having a limbus with a diameter, an upper conjunctival sac and a lower conjunctival sac, said upper and lower conjunctival sacs being separated by an arcuate distance, said device comprising a flexible, substantially planar, annular body having an inner edge and an outer edge, said inner edge having a diameter greater than said diameter of said limbus, said outer edge having a diameter less than said arcuate distance, said body being made of solid cellulosic material, said body having a plurality of radial slits extending radially outwardly from said inner edge. 
     
     
       2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said inner diameter is at least approximately 1 mm greater than said diameter of said limbus. 
     
     
       3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said outer diameter is at least approximately 1 mm less than said arcuate distance. 
     
     
       4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said inner diameter is at least approximately 1 mm greater than said diameter of said limbus and said outer diameter is at least approximately 1 mm less than said arcuate distance. 
     
     
       5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said body is less than approximately 0.1 mm thick. 
     
     
       6. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said solid cellulosic material is methylcellulose. 
     
     
       7. A device for delivering an anesthetic to an eye, said eye having a limbus with a diameter, an upper conjunctival sac and a lower conjunctival sac, said upper and lower conjunctival sacs being separated by an arcuate distance, said device comprising a porous, substantially planar, annular body having edges defined by an inner ring and an outer ring, said inner ring having a diameter greater than said diameter of said limbus, said outer ring having a diameter less than said arcuate distance, said body being made of solid cellulosic material, said body further including conforming means for enabling said body to conform to the shape of said eye, said conforming means comprising a plurality of radial slits formed in said body extending outwardly from said inner ring. 
     
     
       8. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein said inner diameter is at least approximately 1 mm greater than said diameter of said limbus, and wherein said outer diameter is at least approximately 1 mm less than said arcuate distance. 
     
     
       9. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein said inner diameter is approximately 11 mm, and wherein said outer diameter is approximately 17 mm. 
     
     
       10. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein said body is no more than approximately 0.05 mm thick. 
     
     
       11. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein said body is made of a flexible, non-allergenic material that is dimensionally and structurally stable when wet. 
     
     
       12. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein said said solid cellulosic material is methylcellulose. 
     
     
       13. A device for delivering liquid to an eye, said eye having a limbus with a diameter, an upper conjunctival sac and a lower conjunctival sac, said upper and lower conjunctival sacs being separated by an arcuate distance, said device comprising: a porous, substantially planar, annular body having edges defined by an inner ring and an outer ring, said inner ring having a diameter greater than said diameter of said limbus, said outer ring having a diameter less than said arcuate distance, said body having a plurality of slits formed therein, each slit extending radially outwardly from said inner ring for enabling said body to conform to the shape of said eye when said body is positioned about said limbus.   
     
     
       14. The device of claim 7, further comprising liquid carried by said body. 
     
     
       15. The device of claim 13, wherein said body is made of solid cellulosic material. 
     
     
       16. A device for delivering a liquid to an eye, said eye having a limbus with a diameter, an upper conjunctival sac and a lower conjunctival sac, said upper and lower conjunctival sacs being separated by an arcuate distance, said device comprising a flexible, substantially planar, annular body having an inner edge and an outer edge, said inner edge having a diameter greater than said diameter of said limbus, said outer edge having a diameter less than said arcuate distance, said body having a plurality of tapered slits formed therein, each of said slits having a first end opening toward an edge of said body and a second end terminating at a point within said body. 
     
     
       17. The device of claim 16, wherein said body is made of solid cellulosic material.